FOUR
july 26th, 1:58am
They had been on the phone for hours.
For so long, that Lea's mom brought her dinner up so that she could eat in her room. As she spoke with Luke, she swirled her fork around her half finished baby carrots, cringing as it scratched the plate beneath.
They were tired — of their arguments and of how long they had been speaking. Yet, neither had apologised for what they had said. Lea was too stubborn to be the first to say sorry, and Luke just wanted to avoid the conversation all together. There was an underlying tension in the hours that they had been talking. Luke was saying his goodbyes to Lea before she stopped him.
"I'll speak to you in the morning." Luke yawned, his voice mumbled. "Love you."
"Lo- wait, Luke." Lea sat up and waited for the tired boy to answer.
"Yeah?" He practically whispered.
Lea sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating what she should say. He called her name.
"I — I'm sorry." She breathed out. "For what I said the other week. For how I've been acting. I was just — just accusing you when you hadn't done anything wrong except mourn, and I just —" The sound of a soft chuckle cut her off. "What's so funny?"
"You." He said. "You hate saying sorry. You're not sorry for what you said, you're just upset at how it turned out." He didn't sound annoyed, but that could have just been his tiredness talking. He knew her too well.
"Yeah, you're right." She bit her lip. Lea didn't think that she was in the wrong, or at least, as much in the wrong as Luke was. At the end of the day, their argument was nothing but harmful to both parties. Lea didn't get what she wanted, and Luke was exhausted. "I don't know what you want me to say."
Luke sighed. "I don't want you to say anything. I would've been happy to leave it alone."
"You know we can't." She began to play with the skin on the side of her fingernails.
It was a game that they played all too often. They would argue, ignore each other, and then resume business as usual, as if nothing had ever happened. It was only on very rare occasions that one would actually apologise to the other.
"How about we both accept blame and move on?" There was a hint of a smile in his voice.
Lea thought about it. On one hand, it wasn't worth it to keep arguing or have this tension loom over them in every conversation. On the other, it was unhealthy to sweep their problems under the rug, which is usually how the duo dealt with their issues. It was one of the main reasons why they were both so bad at dealing with conflict — they always avoided it.
"Okay." Lea sighed. The easy way out, she thought. "How have you been?"
"Better." Luke yawned. "I haven't really spoken to anyone all weekend."
"Ah." She suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Lea had told all of her friends of their argument, eager for their opinion on who was wrong or right. Kevin and Cheryl, as always, were on her side. Even though Lea never asked, Betty's view leaned more towards Luke — Archie joined her.
Jughead didn't exactly care.
"Yeah, it was nice." He was sounding tired. As the conversation continued, his words became more slurred and his answers were more delayed. The two said their goodbyes, and Lea was left alone in the darkness of her room.
Her phone screen illuminated her face as it showed her background image. It was a solid, baby pink that covered her screen. The time read 2:15am, making Lea feel grateful that it was still summer.
She placed her phone on her nightstand, plugging it in to charge, and sunk further into her mass amount of pillows and heavy bed sheet. She tucked herself in as she rolled onto her side, ready for sleep.
august 14th, 7:56pm
It was the last day of summer vacation. The Sunday before the school year was ready to reset itself. Everyone was prepping to be the best version of themselves. Whether or not that version would last for a week or not was nobody's business.
Lea was sat with Kevin, in Betty Cooper's bedroom. She didn't know how she ended up on hair duty, helping Betty get ready to go out with Archie Andrews, but here she was.
Kevin was sprawled out across her rosy bed sheets, scrolling through twitter, as Betty did her own makeup. Lea pulled, brushed, and sprayed at Betty's hair. Despite Betty Cooper's iconic hairstyle, Lea crowned herself with the title of Ponytail Queen.
Sometimes it made her uneasy at how similar the two were. Lea was sure that if her parent's were anything like Betty's, that her and the blonde would be the same person. It was only when Lea looked deeper into her life that she believed she worked harder than Betty ever did. She believed that their academic and social drive set them apart; which was good enough for Lea.
As preppy pop music played through the retro speakers, Kevin spoke. "Are you excited?" He asked. "Nervous?"
Lea rolled her eyes at his desperate need to know the gossip. She pulled back all of Betty's hair into her hand, which fell out when the girl turned around to face Kevin.
"Both." She answered with a sweet grin. "I haven't seen him all summer."
"Betty, stop moving." Lea muttered. She gathered her hair again.
"Which is why nerves are — acceptable. But we agreed, Betty. It's time." Kevin said.
Betty gave a shy smile and turned back to the mirror to finish off her makeup. Her hair fell out of Lea's grip again. The girl just huffed, pulling it back a final time and into a hair tie quickly.
"You like him, he likes you —" Kevin began.
"Unconfirmed." Lea cut him off. "We only know that Betty likes Archie."
"We also know that you can be a bitch." Kevin retaliated. Lea whipped around, moving to kick his leg, which he avoided.
"She has a point. If he liked me then why, Kevin, hasn't he ever said, and, or done anything?" Betty pointed her powder brush at the mirror, aiming at Kevin, as she spoke.
"Because... Archie's swell."
Lea snorted at his comment. She reached for a baby pink ribbon that Betty had on her vanity.
"But, like most millennial straight guys, he needs to be told what he wants. So, tell him." Kevin got up from the bed and began to walk over to the window in which Archie's very own house could be seen. Betty and Archie were the typical boy/girl next door story — they even had their own windows to prove it.
"Well — we'll see, it depends."
Lea tied the ribbon on top of the hair tie, concealing it.
"Oh — my god." The sound of Kevin gawping at the window caused the two girls to face him. "Game-changer. Archie got hot! He's got abs now."
Betty leapt up from her dressing table and practically ran to the window. Sighing, Lea joined them. If Archie looked out right now, they would all have some explaining to do. As Kevin and Betty looked on in awe, Lea remained fairly unimpressed. A shirtless boy wasn't something all that new to her — Luke provided.
"Six more reasons for you to take that ginger bull by the horns tonight." He exclaimed
"I'm starting to think you'd rather take her place, Kev." Lea snorted.
"Well — I wouldn't say no if you backed out now, Betts."
Lea rolled her eyes and began to practically peel Betty away from the window by her shoulders.
"Betty, as much as I'm sure Archie would love to see you in your bra — you need a shirt." Lea sat the blonde back down on her chair as she pried open her closet doors.
She shifted past numerous amounts of pastel sweaters and blouses. It made her think that maybe she needed to switch up her own wardrobe. When her hands brushed past a sleeveless, cream blouse, she delicately pulled it from its hanger. "Here." She spun on her heel and threw the fabric at Betty, who fumbled to catch it.
"How very Cheryl of you." Kevin commented, now having moved away from the window and back onto the bed.
She rolled her eyes. "Anyway - my work here is done. I'm going to pick Luke up and we'll meet you both at the Diner, Betty." Lea began to gather her coat and bag.
"I still don't see why you have to intrude on a perfect Barchie night." Kevin said.
Lea shrugged. "Luke insisted. Just be grateful he's not bringing Reggie, they haven't seen each other all summer."
After saying her goodbyes to the duo, Lea left the cooper household and hopped into her car. Kodaline played softly through the car speakers on the short drive to the Summers' home. When she pulled up outside, she turned the engine off and watched the porch light softly glow. If it were anyone else, they would've beeped the horn off of the car until he came outside.
Lea tried her best to be polite.
She got out of her car and walked up the path to his white front door. If the lights weren't on inside, it would seem as though nobody was home. It was a different story when she knocked. Luke's mother, Carla, was potentially she loudest person she knew. After knocking on the door three times, it was abruptly pulled open, revealing the woman herself.
"Lea! It's lovely to see you!" Her voice was high and excited as her eyes landed on Lea. "Come in, love. Luke's just finishing his dinn-" Carla was cut off by Luke dashing around the corner. He swung his denim jacket over his shoulders as he pushed past his mother.
"Luke's right here. Let's go." As he walked past Lea, he grabbed her hand, swiftly turning her around.
Lea shyly waved to Carla over her shoulder as the two rushed to her car. As they approached, she hurried forward to hold the door open for Luke, who gave her a small smile as he sat down. The two set off on their way to Pop's Diner. Lea had her last shift for the summer the day before, as she prepared to focus all of her energy on the school year ahead.
The two walked into the Diner side by side, until Luke caught sight of Archie and Betty chatting in a booth.
"Andrews!" He yelled across the room and left Lea's side.
As she walked to catch up with him, Lea nodded politely at Pop as they passed each other. Luke pushed himself into Archie's side, forcing the redheaded boy to move over on the seat. He had clearly interrupted a conversation, with the unamused look on Betty's face. Lea smiled as she sat down next to Betty, who had already scooted over, now opposite Archie once more.
"How are we all doing? You two hook u-" Lea swiftly kicked his shin under the table before he could carry on. He shot her a pained look.
"You both ready for tomorrow?" Lea asked the duo, ignoring Luke's pain.
"Yeah, that's just what we were talking about." Betty smiled and turned back to Archie. "Will you ask Ms. Grundy to tutor you?"
"Woah, Grundy?" Luke questioned. "Not that I'm complaining about you stepping up your game, but what do you need her for?"
Lea rolled her eyes.
"Music, dude." Archie answered. "And, I'm not sure. Maybe." His attention was back on Betty.
"What about football? Can you do both?" Betty asked.
"Don't be bailing on us, Andrews." Luke nudged him. Lea shot him a look.
"I'll try out." He answered.
"Well, have you told your dad?" Betty asked. It was clear that she was more than concerned for Archie's future and well-being.
"No. Until I've got things more figured out, you're the only person I'm telling, okay?" Archie glanced across the table at his last comment. "Willingly."
"My lips are sealed." Lea smiled.
She had no interest in what Archie did in his spare time, whether that be music or football. The three looked towards Luke to see his own reaction. He was barely paying attention to the conversation, as his gaze was elsewhere.
Lea looked over her shoulder to see what he was staring at. To her displeasure, a girl had walked through the door. A long coat was draped over her shoulders and her dark hair was smooth as it cascaded past her cheekbones and down her neck. Archie and Luke were fixated on her as she walked towards Pop, who was ready to pass their table. The two blonde girls at the table were left annoyed.
"I called in an order, for Lodge." She said to Pop, who was shuffling past her. The girl clung to her pristine handbag as she found herself placed directly in front of the couple's table.
"Two burgers? Yeah, almost ready, but you gotta wait." He walked away and back to the counter. The girl wasted no time introducing herself to the group.
"Hi." She chirped. God, even her voice is annoying, Lea thought.
"Hey." Archie and Luke chorused, causing Lea to snap her head towards her boyfriend. Betty remained in a solemn silence.
"How are the onion rings here?" She asked.
"So good." Archie answered.
"Incredible, really." Luke agreed.
She nodded. "Can we get some onion rings too, please?" She called out to Pop, and then turned back to the table. "My mom and I just moved here, so..."
Lea reached out and moved Betty's milkshake towards her so she could take a sip. Despite the situation, Betty smiled slightly - all she wanted from Lea was companionship.
"From where?" Archie asked.
"New York. Do you guys go to Riverdale?" She scanned the table, for any one of them to answer.
"Yeah, we're sophomores."
"We do. All of us, together."
"Unfortunately."
Archie, Betty, and Luke answered. All three spoke above the other. All with different intentions. Betty rested her head on top of her hands.
"Me too. I'm filled with dread. Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote?"
Lea furrowed her brows and turned her head to Betty.
"Is she serious?" She mouthed. Betty shrugged and shook her head sadly.
"I'm Breakfast at Tiffany's, but this place is strictly In Cold Blood."
Lea began to sip on Betty's milkshake again, whilst the trio across from her shared laughs. She was aware that Luke didn't have a clue about the comparison the girl just made.
"Veronica Lodge." She introduced herself and held her hand out. Lea choked on a strawberry lump as recognition crossed her face. Veronica Lodge. Lodge. What on earth was Veronica Lodge doing in Riverdale?
Before either of the boys could reach her hand, Lea snatched it with her own, catching the Lodge girl by surprise.
"Lea Lawson." She shook her hand and introduced herself over-enthusiastically. "That's Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper." She grinned. Her eyes barely spared a glance in her boyfriends direction.
"Luke Summers." Even as Luke muttered his own name, Veronica was now more fixed on the two girls.
"Wait— are you both..."
"Giving you your welcoming tour tomorrow, yes." Lea answered. Betty was originally chosen to introduce the new students of Riverdale High, before Lea decided to shove her way in. In reality, both of them weren't needed, but Lea wouldn't take no for an answer. "We're both peer mentors." She said proudly. The girls gave each other awkward smiles.
"Do you wanna join us?" Archie blurted out. All eyes snapped to his direction.
"Yeah, maybe we can un-fill you with dread." Luke snorted.
"My mom's waiting for me." Veronica answered. Lea felt her shoulders relax. "But, to be continued." She began to take her leave, as she nodded and smiled at the group.
Lea waved and smiled as she watched her grab her food and exit the diner. As soon as she walked through the doors, her smile dropped and she turned towards Luke with a frown. He met her eyes with confusion.
"What?"
The blonde scoffed and sat back down next to Betty, who was also unimpressed. Archie was looking through the window blinds, hoping to catch a sight of the new girl. The conversation continued, but Lea didn't join in. Luke reached across the table and poked her hand. Her head lazily turned to look at him.
"What did I do?" He asked with a level of innocence that almost made Lea forgive him right then and there.
"Next time you think someone is attractive, maybe try and drool over them when your girlfriend isn't within five feet of you both." She said, folding her arms.
"I wasn't drooling." He argued.
"You might as well have been." She countered.
Luke's behaviour wasn't anything new, and Lea knew that. She usually just bit her tongue or wasn't present in order to witness its extent. But, now, in front of others, she felt like she had to defend herself. Lea Lawson wasn't a pushover.
"Look, I won't be offended if you find another guy that you think is attractive." He said.
Lea let out a singular laugh. "Oh, my god. That is such a lie."
"Really, I wouldn't."
Lea stared him down for a minute. There was a hint of a smile on the edge of his lips. This was his own attempt to make her forget and have the argument sizzle away. She allowed it to happen.
"Good thing I have Reggie on speed dial." She got up and walked out of the booth, hearing her short heels click softly against the tiled floor. As she pushed the diner door open, she heard Luke call her name, but she carried on walking.